Coimbra

University towns are fun to visit for the culture and life that they seem to exude from every street. Just as many of the most desirable places in the United States are home to major universities – Madison, Austin, Lawrence – so to is at least one town in Portugal – Coimbra.

View of Coimbra.

With Eric in meetings, I set off to Coimbra early on Tuesday morning. With a train transit time of more than two hours, I decided to make this an overnight journey as in addition to the town of Coimbra, the surrounding countryside holds some of Europe’s most intact Roman ruins. As a northern, more secluded town, I have found Coimbra to be more sheltered from travelers, with the service staff knowing little English and my sad attempts at communication only barely sufficing. Luckily, I found a great tiny hotel, perched randomly near the top of the hill on which the University sits, and with the great hotel, a great Dutch innkeeper (who spoke English) whom showed great care in her explanations of the city to me and kindness over the phone.

My guesthouse.

Seeing the University is fascinating, for I have read in the guidebooks of the prestige of this institution, but from the exterior of its buildings one is left to wonder. In the U.S., universities continue to increase and increase in their glamour as they strive to out-do each other. Here, crumbling buildings stand as they have for centuries with little adaptation apparent. A woman and a man in lab coats scurry quickly between buildings, ducking into an unmarked door that I assumed was abandoned.

A famous university clock tower.

Arched entrances abounded in Coimbra.

The average age of the population on the street drops steeply from Lisbon but twisting alleys and rolling hills remain the rule of the landscape. Here the streets are cobbled with a traditional round stone rather than Lisbon’s square patterns. After a quick nap at my hotel, I would spend the afternoon walking and reading throughout the city, absorbing as much as I could of a charming city on a beautiful spring day. My favorite area was a park along the river that provide striking views, a nice walk, and a restaurant that actually was serving food all day and at which a single traveler did not feel intimidated. Most cafes here only serve cheese or ham sandwiches, and I had nearly reached my fill.

Casa Pombal breakfast.

Close up shots of breakfast. Anyone see bran?

Walking through the park and along the river as the sun began to decline in the early evening sky, you could smell the hormones in the air. Couples stood kissing against a railing and in several cases, to my surprise, in nearly full mount on park benches. I return to the hotel and a night time guitar serenade from the guest next door. Ah, college towns.